Réunion
La Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately 679 km (422 miles) east of the island of Madagascar and 175 km (109 miles) southwest of the island of Mauritius with a total area of just 2,511 km2 (970 square miles). Its capital and largest city is Saint-Denis with around 315,000 inhabitants out of the island’s population of 885,700 (2024).
Reunion retains just one active volcano, the formidable Piton de-la-Fournaise which erupted as recently as July 2023! It also claims the highest peak in the Indian Ocean, the 10,000 feet high extinct volcano Piton des Neiges. The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of Saint-Denis are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands. Offshore, part of the west coast is characterised by a coral reef system. Réunion also has three calderas: the Cirque de Salazie, the Cirque de Cilaos and the Cirque de Mafate.
In addition to volcanism, the relief of the island is very uneven due to active erosion. The centre shelters three vast cirques dug by erosion (Salazie, Mafate and Cilaos) and the slopes of the island are furrowed by numerous rivers digging gullies, estimated at least 600, generally deep and whose torrents cut the sides of the mountains up to several hundreds of meters deep. Between the coastal fringe and the Hauts, there is a steep transitional zone whose gradient varies considerably before arriving at the ridge lines setting the cirques or the Enclos, the caldera of the Piton de la Fournaise.
Piton de la Fournaise – ©Alexandre Péribé, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
La Réunion is characterised by a humid tropical climate, tempered by the oceanic influence of the trade winds blowing from east to west. The climate is characterised by its great variability, mainly due to the imposing relief of the island, which is at the origin of numerous microclimates. As a result, there are strong disparities in rainfall between the windward coast in the east and the leeward coast in the west, and in temperature between the warmer coastal areas and the relatively cooler highland areas. There are two distinct seasons, defined by the rainfall regime; a rainy season from January to March, during which most of the year’s rain falls and a dry season from May to November. However, in the eastern part and in the foothills of the volcano, rainfall can be significant even in the dry season. April and December are transition months, sometimes very rainy but sometimes very dry. The wettest area gets a phenomenal 430 inches of rain annually. Temperatures range from a low of 17 °C in the cold season, to a peak of 31 °C in the hottest.
Being a small island, Réunion only has nine native species of mammals (bats and cetaceans), but ninety-one species of birds. Reptiles are numerous with geckos, skinks, lizards, turtles, tortoises and two (introduced) snakes.
Birding Réunion
Although its lowland forests are all but gone, vast tracts of montane rainforest still remain intact on Reunion’s rugged slopes. In fact, Reunion retains more original forest than any other Indian Ocean island. So its endemic birdlife has suffered a little less than is the case on the other Mascarenes. There are two places on the island where almost all the endemic land birds can be seen during a single morning walk: La Roches Ecrite in the mountains above the capital, St Denis, and the beautiful Bebour-Belouve Forest near the town La Plaine des Palmistes. There, you ought to see Reunion cuckoo-shrike, Reunion bulbul, Reunion stonechat, Reunion grey white-eye and Reunion olive white-eye quite easily. Only the cuckoo-shrike is rare. Also often spotted are Mascarene swiftlet and Mascarene paradise flycatcher, both of which are more plentiful here than on Mauritius. And keep a lookout for the attractive Reunion harrier, which is also present in Madagascar. It is the only raptor found in Reunion, where it is quite widespread.
La Plaine des Palmistes – ©Jean-Louis Sicot, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Seeing Reunion’s sought-after resident seabirds, is somewhat more difficult. The endangered Reunion Black Petrel and Barau’s Petrel, are known to breed in the inhospitable heights of Piton des Neiges, which they leave around dusk for nocturnal foraging jaunts far out at sea. A third highly localised and uncommon seabird, the Mascarene Shearwater, is also found around Reunion. (It is shared with the Comoros). Seeing the island’s national bird, the White-tailed Tropicbird, is quite easily done along the rocky north-east and east coasts. Any time is a good time to visit, except cyclone season which is late January to early February.
Birding In all The Mascarene Islands (Reunion, Mauritius & Rodrigues) – Together the islands of Reunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues form the Mascarene archipelago, which lies 700kms to the east of Madagascar. Man arrived settled on these sublime tropical islands only about 400 years ago. But almost nowhere else on Earth, have Human activities had such a devastating effect on indigenous flora and fauna as has been the case on the Mascarenes. The wave of avian extinctions, which consequently occurred on these islands, is perhaps paralleled only by that of the Hawaiian archipelago. The birds of the Mascarenes, were absolutely remarkable, including such distinctive species as the extinct Dodo of Mauritius and its compatriots on Reunion and Rodrigues, the equally bizarre Solitaires. In the space of a week, it is fairly easy to see all the lifers one can tick off in the Mascarenes.
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Derek Schuurman
| dschuurman@rainbowtours.co.uk
https://www.rainbowtours.co.uk/reunion
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Number of bird species: 161
(As at August 2024)National Bird - White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus
Number of endemics: 7
Reunion Harrier Circus maillardi
Reunion Cuckooshrike Lalage newtoni
Reunion Bulbul Hypsipetes borbonicus
Reunion Olive White-eye Zosterops olivaceus
Reunion Grey White-eye Zosterops borbonicus
Reunion Stonechat Saxicola tectes
Reunion Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone bourbonnensis- There are also two 'breeding endemics', that nest on Réunion but nowhere else. They Are:
Barau's Petrel Pterodroma baraui
Mascarene Petrel Pseudobulweria aterrima
- Eleven other endemic bird species have become extinct in historical times.
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Avibase
PDF ChecklistThis checklist includes all bird species found in Réunion , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them. -
Wikipedia
Annotated ListThis is a list of the bird species recorded in Réunion. The avifauna of Réunion include a total of 161 species, of which 17 are endemic, and 27 have been introduced. -
eBird
PDF ChecklistThis checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
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Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodriges, Seychelles and the Comoros.
| By Ian Sinclair, Olivier Langrand, Norman Arlott, Hilary Burn, Peter Hayman & Ian Lewington | New Holland Publishers | 2013 | Paperback | 264 pages, 71 plates with 1160 colour illustrations; colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9781431700851 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Birds of the Mascarene Islands - Les Oiseaux des Mascareignes
| (A Comprehensive Collection of Endemic, Oceanic, Migratory and Exotic Birds of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion) | By B Narainsamy Ramen | Narainsamy Ramen | 2012 | Hardback | 360 pages, colour photos, 3 colour maps | Text French & English | ISBN: 9789994900091 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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African Bird Club
WebsiteLa R -
La Société d’Etudes Ornithologiques de La Réunion
WebsiteLa Société d’Etudes Ornithologiques de La Réunion est une association de type Loi 1901, créée en 1997. Elle compte plus de 240 adhérents, nombre en augmentation chaque année depuis sa création. Les mots-clés de l’association sont «Etudes », « Actions d’intérêt collectif» et «Bénévolat».
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NP Réunion
InformationSatellite ViewThe core of the island has been listed as a national park since 2007. The extraordinary value of the landscapes and nature in the Les Hauts area of the island has thus been given the key to conservation, discovery and development it previously lacked, as well as the international recognition it deserved. The core of the park is marked by excellence, where the priority is on protecting the environments, animal and plant species, landscapes and cultural heritage. It is subject to a specific set of regulations -
NR Etang Saint-Paul
WebpageSatellite ViewLocated near the ocean on the west coast of Reunion Island, the lakes of Saint-Paul is a unique wetland, the largest and best preserved on the island and the Mascarene archipelago... -
NR Réserve Naturelle Marine de La Réunion
WebpageSatellite View...the Marine nature reserve which spans 40km of the coast (including 20km of coral reef) from Cap La Houssaye to Saint-Paul, and Roche aux Oiseaux to Étang Salé. Its 35km² surface area is divided between the overall perimeter, the enhanced conservation zones (45% of the surface area) and the integral conservation zones...
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eBird
SightingseBirding This Month
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BirdQuest
Tour OperatorEYCHELLES, MAURITIUS, RODRIGUES & RÉUNION – Indian Ocean Islands endemics and seabirds in an Earthly Paradise -
Birding Africa
Tour Operatorhttps://birdingafrica.com/blog/tour-destination/indian-ocean-islands-birding-tours/ -
FieldGuides
Tour OperatorIn-depth coverage of the accessible parts of Madagascar: many endemic birds, striking lemurs, bizarre flora and chameleons, fascinating culture. Optional extension to the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and Reunion will add yet more endemics. -
Rainbow Tours
Tour OperatorThe luxuriant mountain forest of Bebour-Belouve will attract any nature enthusiast and birders may tick off most of Reunion's endemic birds in the course of a single walk… -
Rockjumper
Tour OperatorThe French governed island of Réunion is a rugged volcanic island, rich in land endemics and well-endowed with a range of special sea birds. We will search the tropical waters here for Barau’s and Mascarene Petrel and, whilst ambling forest trails in the footprints of pirates, search for Reunion Cuckooshrike, 2 endemic white-eyes and Reunion Bulbul.
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2015 [12 December] - Phil Gregory - Madagascar, Mauritius & Reunion (with Masoala Peninsula extension)
Report...Reunion was not too rushed this year, so we did a scenic tour of the island and saw the drolly named Cascade Niagara, the quite extensive lava flows, and two very nice pairs of Reunion Harrier, then went to the Etang du Gol to see the Barau's Petrels readying themselves to fly in to their montane nest sites. The next day at La Roche Ecrite was a good finale too, with a fine start and the rain only coming in as we left, though the trail there was the wettest and most slippery I have ever seen it due to heavy rain the day before. Happily we were well-trained for it, and saw all of the remaining endemics very well, with the Reunion Paradise-Flycatcher and Reunion Cuckooshrike showing very nicely -- the latter my first sighting since 2010, and an excellent finale to the tour.... -
2016 [11 November] - Phil Gregory - Madagascar, Mauritius & Reunion
ReportWe got into Reunion late afternoon and dashed straight down to a site near St Denis to get great looks at Barau's Petrel, (which you can actually see off the seawall right by our hotel as I saw 131 there on Dec 1 as well as an odd dark petrel). The walk up at La Roche Ecrite gets into beautiful native forest, and we quickly saw Reunion Stonechat, Reunion Bulbul, Mascarene (Reunion) Paradise Flycatcher and the two endemic white-eyes... -
2017 [10 October] - Michael Mills - Seychelles, Mauritius & Réunion
PDF ReportThe remote oceanic islands of Seychelles, Mauritius, Rodrigues andReunion are renowned for their palm-lined, white-sand beaches, and inthe case of Reunion, it's active volcano. From the birder's perspective,these island are characterised by high degrees of endemism, spectacularseabird breeding colonies, heroic conservation efforts and, unfortunately,irreplaceable losses such as the extinct Dodo. -
2018 [03 March] - Budget Birders - Comoros, Reunion, Seychelles
ReportSo before I jump right into our "Reunion on Reunion" let it be known that I left Ross and went home for three weeks in the middle of our 6-month trip. It took nearly 2 days of travel on either end to get from one side of the world to the other, and I realize... -
2018 [11 November] - Phil Gregory - Madagascar with Mauritius & Reunion
ReportThis was my ninth Field Guides Madagascar tour (eleventh overall), and was again a terrific trip with a very congenial fit group who were also very good at spotting. I have gradually fine-tuned this tour to eliminate as many Madagascar Air flights as possible, and we enjoyed close to an ideal itinerary this year. Very dry conditions at Ranomafana certainly depressed some small bird activity, but we had a very good range of species overall and great views of some very special mammals like sifakas, Indri, mouse-lemurs, bamboo-lemurs and woolly lemurs, not to forget non-venomous snakes, day-geckoes, skinks and chameleons as well -
2019 [02 February] - Hans-Åke Gustavsson - Réunion & Mauritius
PDF ReportThis report contains the observations from a two-week holiday trip to Réunion and Mauritius together with my non-birding wife. A good part of the time was spent relaxing and sight-seeing but the intention was also to see as many of the endemic bird species as possible. -
2019 [07 July] - Martijn Hammers
PDF ReportI visited Réunion for a biology conference and had a brief stopover on Mauritius. I had only one afternoon on Mauritius and went birding for one day on Réunion but was still able to see the majority of the endemic landbirds on Mauritius and all endemic landbirds on Réunion. Having only one full day on each island could be sufficient to see most or all species, but having a bit more birding time would be nice, especially on Mauritius. -
2019 [11 November] - Phil Gregory - Mauriitius & Reunion
ReportReunion this year was trouble-free and in good weather, with thankfully no gilets-jaune protest, unlike 2018 where we got disrupted. Our first afternoon saw us visit the amusingly named Cascade Niagara, with several sightings of the rare Reunion Harrier as the highlight, then very calm conditions for a sea-watch late afternoon near St Denis. We had nice looks at many Barau's Petrels and a few Tropical Shearwater, plus pale morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater and both Brown Noddy and Bridled Tern, with suspected Lesser Noddy too far away to be certain! Next day it was a lovely sunny early morning at La Roche Ecrite, ideal conditions for finding Reunion Olive and Reunion Grey White-eyes, Reunion Stonechat, Reunion (Mascarene) Paradise-Flycatcher, Reunion Bulbul and best of all, terrific looks at a male Reunion Cuckooshrike, found right by the track just before it clouded over and we beat a retreat. -
2022 [10 October] - Anjana - Seychelles, Mauritius & Réunion
Report...The Reunion Stonechat was spotted at the parking itself that perched next to our car while we were getting our raingear out. Reunion Grey White-eye’s were spotted at around 0620 hrs soon followed by the Reunion Olive White-eyes. We then kept climbing and at around 0800 Hrs, heard the Reunion Bulbul call and while they initially stayed within the dense canopy, they eventually emerged and gave same amazing views... -
2022 [10 October] - D K Danckwerts - Seychelles, Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion
PDF Report...is unique in a global context holding two endemic petrels: the Mascarene and Barau’s Petrels. The latter has been described as the easiest Pterodroma in the world to see and a late afternoon sea-watch anytime between the months of September and April should deliver hundreds of these impressive birds... -
2024 [07 July] - Frédéric Lemaigre
PDF ReportLa Réunion is particularly attractive for its endemic species. Except for Barau's Petrel and Mascarene Petrel (Pseudobulweria aterrima) which are not present in July, and for Reunion cuckooshrike who is rare and lives in a restricted area (see below), all were quite easily spotted at many different places.